B.C. teachers' union says Tuesday would be the earliest start of full strike (updated)

Tracy Sherlock, Vancouver Sun06.11.2014

B.C.'s teachers voted 86 per cent in favour of a full-scale strike, which means schools could be closed as soon as next week.B.C. Teachers' Federation president Jim Iker said teachers won’t give notice immediately, so schools will be open Monday morning. Seventy-two hours’ strike notice is required for a full-scale walkout. “That gives both sides a small, but important, window to reassess their positions,” Iker said, adding that the decision to escalate would be made soon.DARRYL DYCK
/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

Teachers will vote Monday and Tuesday on whether to move to a full-scale strike.DARRYL DYCK
/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

The British Columbia teachers' union and its employer were set to meet Wednesday evening to begin the process of setting the terms of a potential full-scale strike, even as both insisted they were holding out hope for a negotiated settlement.

The union announced Tuesday that teachers had voted overwhelmingly in favour of a full-scale walkout after three weeks of rotating strikes.

However, the B.C. Teachers' Federation had not yet issued a strike notice, meaning the earliest a walkout could begin is next Tuesday. The union said it hadn't made a decision about if, or when, it would stage such a strike.

The B.C. Public School Employers' Association, which negotiates on behalf of the province, has applied to the Labour Relations Board for an essential services order in the event of a full-scale strike. Specifically, the association wants an order to require teachers to administer and mark exams, prepare report cards and submit students' final grades.

A case management meeting was set for Wednesday evening in front of the Labour Relations Board. The meeting was not open to the public and a full hearing has not been scheduled.

Members who cast ballots voted 86 per cent in favour of striking — a vote the union said was designed to increase the pressure on the provincial government.

"I feel the same amount of pressure — as I think our government does — to get a negotiated settlement as we felt a week ago, a month ago and even a year ago," Education Minister Peter Fassbender said in an interview Wednesday.

"We want to get a negotiated settlement. We would like to see the strike action and disruption stop so the students can finish the school year with no disruption."

Fassbender said the government has made significant concessions, such as abandoning its push for a 10-year contract, but he said the union has not been as flexible.

"They keep saying we need to come to the table with more money, in short: 'Give us everything we want and then we'll be happy,"' said Fassbender.

"That's not realistic."

The province responded to the teachers' rotating strikes by partially locking out teachers and docking 10 per cent pay. It also plans to initiate a full lockout for all secondary school teachers on June 25 and 26, with all teachers fully locked out on June 27.

Union president Jim Iker wasn't available Wednesday, but after the strike vote results were announced on Tuesday he said a strike was not inevitable.

"We can avoid a full-scale strike and end the government's disruptive lockout if this government comes to the table with a more open mind and a commitment to reinvest into public education," he said.

The union has said it would not be able to offer teachers strike pay during a full-scale walkout.

The escalating dispute has focused on wages and issues such as class size and composition, and the two sides still appear far apart on all of those issues.

The union has said it it's asking for a 9.75 per cent wage increase over four years, but the government claims the figure is closer to 19 per cent when cost-of-living increases and other benefits are taken into account.

The employers' association has offered 7.3 per cent over six years, along with a $1,200 signing bonus if a deal is reached before the end of the school year.

The province says it's saved $12 million each week in teacher salaries during the job action, plus nearly $5 million more by chopping wages and it could save an additional $82.5 million each week in the event of a full-blown strike.

The education minister declined to speculate whether the savings from the strike could be used to fund improvements to the teachers' contract.

"I would rather see us stay at the table and for the (union) to cancel its strike action so there would be no savings but there would be stability for the rest of the school year," said Fassbender.

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B.C. teachers' union says Tuesday would be the earliest start of full strike (updated)

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